Sometimes the contract market gets the best collaborations. This time, Kelly Hoppen MBE has joined forces with leading carpet manufacturer Brintons to create a bold new collection of contemporary woven carpets. The new venture is the renowned interior designer’s first ever carpet collection and will be launched at Sleep, the annual hotel design event taking place in London this November.

Just because it’s getting darker and because we bloody like yellow, we thought we would have a think about yellow bathrooms. Could be tiles, furniture or maybe a bin. Let’s brighten up December with a bit of Spring.

Adored Danish tableware brand Stelton (check out your Mum’s cupboards- she will have one of their gravy boats or definitely a vacuum jug) has worked with the Italian design duo, Daniel Debiasi and Federico Sandri, to create the Collar collection especially for all coffee aficionados. We definitely fall into that bracket.

For the astute coffee drinker, nothing is more important than flavour (and a nice shaped cup that feels right we always think.) The classic, Italian coock-top espresso maker, also known as a “Moka Pot”, is the utmost tool for creating a professional, full-bodied brew at home. Collar has a perfect silhouette with Stelton’s lauded Scandinavian design aesthetics.

Although the range was created last year, the matte black and on-trend gold and beech finishes make sure that these pieces don’t need to be hidden way in cupboards and are utterly timeless.

Renowned British brands Anglepoise and Paul Smith, announce that new Mini and Giant lamps previewed earlier this year are now available in the UK. Hurrah! These are especially lovely and while previous Anglepoise and Paul Smith collaborations have focused on colour this new partnership plays with scale. We would like the mini mini please.

This summer, two artists will travel to locations in the UK and approach passers-by with the proposition of cutting a diamond-shaped piece of fabric from the clothes they are wearing. People’s responses to this polite enquiry will determine the outcome of a new project which aims to explore the personal histories of people and their clothes and to connect people from all over the world via the things they wear.

Photo by Phoebe Mussman

Two Itinerant Quilters is a new project created by artists Joanna Wright and Lenka Clayton, who will be in residence at Ceredigion Museum in Wales on 4 and 5 August and Helson Museum in Cornwall on 11 and 12 August. The project takes its inspiration from the long-lost profession of the 18th century travelling quilters who would stay with families in order to create patchwork quilts from old clothing, rags and sacks found at each home.

Photo by Phoebe Mussman

This story goes with the above shirt:‘There is a river race in Missouri for kayaks and canoes called the Missouri River 340. The race starts in Kansas City and ends in St. Charles, Missouri. You paddle 340 miles across the state on the Missouri River. It takes about 2 1?2 days, for some it takes longer. The shirt I brought is the shirt worn by the first all women’s voyageur canoe team ‘Ladies and Clark’. I was a member of that team. We placed 26th out of 340 vessels. Our age range was 62 yrs old…to 30 years old… One team member found out that she was pregnant the week before the race. She kept her commitment to our team and finished the race strong. The river adventure with its beauty and perils changed our lives and reminded us that women are strong competitors, and caring competitors, as we looked after each other along our journey.’

Photo by Phoebe Mussman

As well as donating a piece of fabric, each participant contributes a story, remark or comment linked to the clothing, with the collection of stories growing online as the physical quilt expands. The aim is to connect people via those stories and their garments but also to create the possibility of people, sporting clothes with a very visible and distinctive contrasting patch, bumping into each other on the street.

We love organising and stationery so very much. There’s nothing like a stroll through Hay or Present and Correct and coming out with a months’ rent’s worth of rulers and desktop filing trays in copper. Although their website is a little overwhelming and garish, the brand Happybags have got their planners bang on.

On Friday we covered CDW’s famed exhibitions. Now we look at a few of the showrooms. There are over 90 so we would never get round them all, but this might give you a little bit of a point in the right direction.

So, people seem to be throwing this term Hygge around willy nilly at the moment. It’s one of those words that we reckon is a bit of a fancy fad, but we do love the images it conjures up. Hygge (pronounced “hue-gah”) is a Danish word with no literal English translation that roughly encompasses a cosy feeling or atmosphere and the pleasure in making ordinary, every day actions feel special and meaningful.

We know we love vintage design- we just wish we could afford it. Now although we might need to save some pennies, we have a website that’s dedicated to sourcing it all so we can drool over it whilst saving.

Now in its 4th year, Art16 returns to Olympia London from 20 – 22 May 2016. Since its inaugural edition in 2013, Art16 has become a highlight of London’s cultural calendar and kicks off the summer season with an edit of international artists and galleries from more than 30 countries from around the globe. Here are a few of our faves pieces and/or exhibitors.

HUANG Pei-Hang from Aki Gallery

Huang looks at the modern day media we are fed and asks if we are really affected y other stories and events happening on the other side of the globe. Huang will be exhibiting via the Aki Gallery in Taiwan.

Series 1826- Mandy Barker, Artitled

Mandy Barker takes images of all the detritus that is washed up onto the beaches of Hong Kong. This particular image of lighters took over 3 years to photograph and layer. Barker will be at Art 16 with the Artitled gallery from the Netherlands.

Blue and White Vase Bobbie Russon

British gallery Bo.Lee will be at the fair with a range of artists including Bobbie Russon with her unsettling oils on canvas, depicting her sense of a lost childhood.

My Model, 2013, Wei Dong

USA gallery Klein Sun, represent artists from the Far East, including Wei Dong- a figurative painter whose canvasses reveal influences pertaining to the Cultural Revolution and his time spent living abroad in the U.S.

Eileen Cooper-Love Potion

UK based Rook and Raven represent Eileen Cooper, the first female Keeper of the Royal Academy, since it was established in 1768. Sometimes described as a magic realist, Cooper brings an unapologetically female perspective to her subject matter, which encompasses sexuality, motherhood, life and death.

We are in love with Utility Design. With 3 stores in Liverpool and one in King’s Cross, London, the online offering has some great brands and some equally great deals. Here we have picked some of their fab sale offers.

It may still be £907 (gag) but this Knoll Berotia side chair has 15% off and that makes it slightly less appalling. But what a glorious piece of furniture it is. Where’s that chair fund got to?

These Osjo Vinge lamps are down to £462.40 which again is a little much to stomach- but so sweet!

Now this Artemide Dalu lamp is fun, colourful and affordable and down to £61.20- yes please!

A great tip is to head to the outlet area of the site where the deals are even better. This Kartell Ghost stool has 26% off taking it down to a very reasonable £75.

This gorgeous Kartell Componobiliis is only £72 down from £100- yahooo!

Swarovski will bring a bespoke version of Zotem, a dynamic installation designed by Kim Thorne and originally exhibited at the Victoria & Albert Museum during the London Design Festival 2015.

Kim Thome – For Swarovski – Photographed at his London Studio – 2015

Design Shanghai is simultaneously a celebration and a reflection of the thriving creative industries market that has been emerging in China in recent years. The pace and scale of China’s economic transformation has in fact provided the perfect environment for the rapid growth of the country’s creative sectors, allowing enterprise, creativity and innovation to flourish.

Recent figures show that the number of interior designers in Mainland China has increased to 600,000, while the number of creative studios, including architecture practices, interior design companies and property development firms, has risen to 200,000. The total number of practitioners stands at over 10 million.

The Classic Design Hall will feature an outstanding selection of products by leading names, including those returning to Design Shanghai following last year’s successful edition. Brands that have reconfirmed their participation include Cole & Son – presented by Wallvision – Parker & Farr, John Myland, PY Design and Miele China. In addition Nur Collection by MOHEBBAN will feature.

2015 was definitely the year for stunning wallpaper with Cole & Son, All the Fruits, House of Hackney and more getting in on the action. Wallpaper rolls were adorned with mis-matched patterns as well as different colours. Below we have picked a few fabrics and wallpapers that have caught our eye, going into the next season. Both brands have been inspired by places in their designs- geographical creativity!

Behang Adults by Oilily

This subtle patterned wallpaper by Dutch fashion house Oilily is inspired by four Dutch places. Four typical villages inspired Oilily’s product designers Roland and Johanneke. Each of these locations had its own characteristic shapes and colour schemes, which in turn created lovely contrasts in the wallpaper designs.

Behang young adult

Oilily have also made a range for young adults that would sit happily in any teenagers- or grown ups- room. The two luxury wallpaper collections were created with hand painted, drawn or sketched prints. This means striped patterns are not composed of meticulously straight lines and polka dots are not perfectly round, creating a traditional and completely one off feel.

Art of the Loom’s latest collection entitled ‘Indian Summer’

Art of the Loom’s new Spring collection is inspired by India. A collection of contrasts, it sees the vibrancy and the frenetic energy of the country, hinting at influence from embroidered saris, flowers for the temple, painted trucks and decorated camels. Art of the Loom’s designs are brought to life in rich, vivid tones and stunning textures, perfect for the Spring/Summer season.

Art of the Loom- Agate

The fabric, although inspired by a country renowned for it’s vibrant colours, could easily be introduced into a neutral colour scheme. We can see the above Agate on long drop curtains. And we want.

We’ve just found out about Tipi – the modular shelving unit by Assaf Israel and we are a little bit in love. Inspired by elements of nomadism: the ease with which one can transfer, assemble, change, disassemble and rebuild it – the shelving unit can be popped up and down with ease.

The cone-shaped structure allows an easy setting of the shelves, with no need of fixation – the diameter of each hole in each shelf was precisely measured so as to stand in the exact and desired height. The upper part of the poles are fixed with screws, allowing an easier positioning of the shelves. The system include 1 Tipi system Includes: 3 shelves, 1 hanger, 1 drawers and 2 hand-made African baskets made of Veta-Vera grass.

It can be used for a desk too- meaning it’s multifunctional as well as stunning- just what we like! For more information about the Tipi, click here.